by Aravis Moore
December 3, 2007

Forget cookie-cutter Starbucks and the PLNU-packed Living Room. Here are four independent coffee shops worth checking out for studying during finals week, each with its own unique character to suit your mood or study habits. 

Your Mama’s Mug
4967 Newport Avenue, Ocean Beach
Wireless: Yes (and it’s free!)
Seating: Limited
Hours: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Price of a 12-oz. latte: $2.39
Your Mama’s Mug is that kind of quirky neighborhood coffee shop that feels like a retro ice cream parlor and yet is funky enough to have a “Tipping is not a city in China” sign on the tip jar. Although the seating inside is limited (there are three tables and a counter with a few barstools), there are tables outside that are usually available. Its location is in the middle of Newport Avenue and next to the world-famous OB International Youth Hostel, making Your Mama’s Mug a prime spot to hang out on Wednesdays and watch the crowds that flock to the weekly Farmers Market.

Jungle Java
5047 Newport Avenue, Ocean Beach
Wireless: Yes (but it’s sometimes unreliable)
Hours: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Price of a 12-oz. latte: $3.15
If looking at a fern is your way of curing homework anxiety, then Jungle Java is the coffee shop for you. Located on Ocean Beach’s main street, this parking lot turned urban-garden cafe feels like a relaxed, foliage-filled garden. Green patio tables and a few park benches are scattered around the paved courtyard, which is complete with wind chimes and the soothing sound of running water from a garden fountain. The downside? Even though there are outdoor heaters near some of the tables, it’s bound to get chilly once the evening breeze starts blowing in from the ocean. Half of the seating is under an awning, but the other half is exposed to the elements.

Lestat’s Coffee House
3343 Adams Avenue, Normal Heights
Wireless: Yes
Hours: 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Price of a 12-oz. latte: $2.50
Named after the vampire in Anne Rice’s novel Interview with a Vampire, Lestat’s offers what very few coffee shops can: unlimited access to caffeine, at any time of day or night. Next door is a concert venue that features live music every night. At any time you go, you’re likely to see lots of black clothing, lots of tattoos and lots of computers. The downside is that it’s busy well into the night, and even with the two patios and inside seating, it’sometimes hard to find a chair.

Reds Espresso and Eatery
1017 Rosecrans St. (across the street  from the Living Room)
Wireless: Yes
Hours: 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Price of a 12-oz. Latte: $3.25
Reds lives up to its name: red walls, red floors, red color scheme in the tables and chairs—even the red hearts the baristas draw on the to-go cups. It’s a great place to go when you’re feeling a bit subversive—the cement floors and moody lighting create the overall feel of a cafe that caters to the underground. Reds is an ideal place to drink organic coffee and read Marx, or just feel sophisticated in the quietness of a unique coffee shop. It’s better to study at Reds during the day, though; doors close at 6 p.m.